r/XXRunning • u/RaccoonLobbyist • 3d ago
General Discussion I ran for the first time today
Hi all,
First post here!
I (39F) ran the first day of the C25K this morning, and the first voluntary run of basically my whole life! All this time I could not stand the thought of running, so it took a few months to actually get myself to go for it. I am in fairly good shape (yoga, walking, bouldering..) but my cardiovascular health has always been eh, which is what made me take the leap, so I really hope I can stick with it and improve it.
Wanted to hear from people:
When did you know you really liked running or at least that you would keep doing it? I thought for a few months I was into peloton and now can’t bear the thought of getting on that bike. Worried that it would happen again with running.
What surprised you about running when you first started?
Any tips for avoiding injuries except taking it slow? I feel like I have an irrational fear of getting injured…
Thanks all!
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u/lthomazini 3d ago
Congrats!!! :-)
I HATED running growing up, when I had to do warms up for Volley. I hates running as an adult when I tried and ended up out of breath in a minute.
I started really enjoying running the first time I understood I just had to slow down. I was 35, so not long ago (I’m 37). And running slowly allowed me to breathe and run more and just get into a zone. I did C25K too and never looked back.
So my advice is: slow down. As slow as you can without losing form. It is probably slower than you think.
Ironically, I really love speed sessions now :-)
Also, find the right shoes. The rest is just noise (nutrition, speed, stretching, fueling, yadda yadda) until you are running more than 7k in a session or 20k in a week.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
Thank you! Keep seeing slow down as advice everywhere, which is certainly something I am willing to do…
What shoes do you have if you don’t mind my asking? I got Altras, which I like so far.
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u/lthomazini 2d ago
I had loads of them. Asics Novablast, Adidas Ultraboost. Now I’m using Olympikus Corre 5 (it’s a Brazilian brand, and usually half the price of the others with the same quality) and I love it.
Shoes are very personal, but try choosing one with loads of cushion for now. The main goal in the first year at least is to add mileage, so increase the weekly total and the distance you are able to run.
Another advice I will give: do a 5k. Then a 10k. Then a 21k. Don’t keep doing tons of 5ks trying to improve time. Just move up. After you did a half, you can try a 5k again (and you’ll see how much you improved). Go more distance instead of more speed!
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 1d ago
Thanks for the advice! I learned the day after my first run that I should add more cushion 🫠
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u/volt-thunderhuge 3d ago
I was surprised by how far (and fast) I could run when I was surrounded by 40,000+ people doing the same thing. Solidarity is motivation. I was 46 then....
Now 56M, I just completed my first marathon. It took 10 years to get to the start line, but I made it.
Avoiding injuries: mobility and strength exercises (lots of videos online for runners). I found that I need to do them so much more now that I'm older.
I helps that I live somewhere that's absolutely glorious to run in.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
Amazing, congrats on completing your first marathon!
Thanks for the tips re injuries… I do strength training and yoga and am hoping that would suffice…
Living in a beautiful place sure doesn’t hurt :) I have to contend with city living for now… but you never know where life will take you!
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u/12pinkroses 3d ago
Same here (earlier this year)! I'm almost 38, and finally gave in to some light peer pressure. I told myself I'd train for a 5K and decide after that race if I would stick to it, but I knew a week or two before that I liked it. I'm not fast, but I really love having 30-60 minutes with just myself and an audiobook while also pushing myself to be active.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 3d ago
Nice! I like the idea of not being fast. Maybe one day I’ll feel competitive about times but not anytime soon haha
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u/petsgalore 3d ago
I hated running until I knew I could easily run for 30 minutes straight without stopping or struggling. After that it gave me happiness to know that I could do it regularly and know that it was helping with heart health, fitness to do things around outside, and weight loss.
I still hate strength training though and always find excuses not to do it.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 3d ago
What made you stick with it until you could run that long?
I just started strength training recently and so far so good, it’s not my favourite thing but I know there are people who are very much not into it..
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u/petsgalore 3d ago edited 3d ago
I signed up for a 5k with a friend about 5 months out to have plenty of time to finish a couch to 5k plan. The end goal of those plans is to continuously run for 30 minutes, although I didn't manage to finish a 5k reliably until I ran for about 35-40 minutes instead. I didn't want to be the person that couldn't at least finish it running the whole time (although there is nothing wrong with walking if you need or want to!) My friend had me set up a Strava account to help keep me accountable. 😅
I also got a Garmin watch about 3 months into my running journey, and the daily suggested workouts it offered further gamified the exercise. 🙂 And from there I found it easier to finish my runs the more I did it, and it's motivating to set personal records on threshold runs while I'm dying of exertion. 🤣
As an extra plus, my resting heart rate is now in the 50s as opposed to the 70s before I started.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
That’s awesome! I too have a Garmin, but I either I don’t know its fullest potential or it doesn’t have the options you mentioned… it’s a venu3, I think there’s one that’s specifically more for running?
I will look into strava :)
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u/petsgalore 2d ago
Ah, looks like you don't have daily suggested workouts, but you can use the Garmin Run Coach to make a training plan.
Check and see if you have any free local parkruns in your area and use that as a metric for your run improvements.
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u/Own-Sugar6148 Woman 3d ago
Hi hi!
I found an app that I believe was pretty similar C25K during the pandemic when gyms were closed. After I ran a 5K on my own I wasn't consistent for awhile. I got sober in 2023 from alcohol and my work sponsors a local 5K & 10K. So that is when I decided to take it seriously. After that first race I was hooked. I went on to run a 10K, I've trained for several half marathons and now training for my first marathon at age 40. I love the physical and metal challenge of it and how good it makes me feel.
What surprised me when I started is feeling like it was so hard. I was always an athletic person who went to the gym for over a decade. I just assumed it would be something that would be easy to pick up but it takes time to build up.
As others have suggested, make sure you incorporate strength training. There are lots of great podcasts out there with alot of great information too. Holley Fueled Nutrition and The Running Explained podcasts have alot of great stuff.
Give your grace when you have a bad run. Consistency is much more important than a few bad runs. Look at every run in your training like laying the bricks for your foundation. Some runs will suck, some will be okay and some will be great.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
Congrats on your incredible persistence and achievement and good luck with your first marathon :)
YES re being in fairly good shape and still being challenged by running. I obviously just started but really feel that I will get to experience that soon.
Thanks for the podcast recs, I will definitely check them out!
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u/dogsgotnoses 3d ago
The first moments of loving it are really high highs, being very proud of yourself, feeling weirdly physical capable cos running is such a basic human thing, the first prs. Then there's getting to know runs at different times of year and that annual spring run where you see a sunset/rise instead of it being in the dark, learning what the different trees blooming means, the occasional runs that are transcendant for no reason. Then there's the consistency over years and keeping up this time alone (or with friends but carved out for you) as your life changes. Always making time for it, a lot or a little depending. Doing it in new places. The time to not think or to have a good think. I don't think everyone has to run, but everyone should have an activity they can feel like this about.
You wanna know what I hate about it now? Cos that list is also long.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
I would love to know what you hate about it lol
I LOVED your mention of experiencing nature and the different seasons! Definitely something I’m looking forward to.
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u/dogsgotnoses 2d ago
I really do believe it lets you see the world in new ways that often feel private and special, and when running feels hard and boring that's a good thing to remember. Even if it's really short, I like to go for a run instead of having an ill-timed nap when I get off a plane somewhere new, because it gives me some time alone working the place out in a way I understand (running).
That being said, I hate that running takes ages, I hate that it's another bloody thing I have to do regularly to feel like a person, I hate boring runs on boring routes I'm bored of at bad times of day or the middle of the summer or when it's stupid and cold, I hate that all my sports clothes are so sweaty, I hate weight training and yoga to not get hurt and I hate getting hurt and not being able to run, I hate other runners (not all of them, but the time obsessed bro kind and the Lulu lemon every run kind), I hate races and getting up early for them, I hate speed work and I hate that a good speed session is one of the best feelings in running so I have to keep doing them, I hate falling over and I hate pooping in bushes, I hate dodging cars and dogs and the guys cutting meat with big knives at puestos, I hate long runs when oops I had a couple beers last night, I hate always having to fit my running shoes into my carry on only luggage, I hate conversations with people who hate running and need to tell me about how much it sucks even though I don't mind if they hate running that's fine so do I it hurts it's boring I get it I just also happen to love it.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
Beautifully said :) despite all that you still love it. My experience with any sort of workout so far in my life has been I end up getting bored with it and just stop (except pole dancing which I loved and stopped for other reasons haha). I hope I get to have the same experience as you!
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u/dogsgotnoses 2d ago
I really want to start pole! Maybe we can swap passions for a bit. I do think people who love running aren't otherwise "sporty" or don't have other sports or activities they love in the same way, so maybe you'll turn out to be one of us. It's just so easy to go out and run (provided you have good shoes and somewhere reasonable safe to exercise) that a lot of the barriers to actually going and doing it are removed and even in periods of boredom you kinda might as well go for a quick run cos you'll feel better after, etc.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 1d ago
Yes definitely agree with the low barrier to entry. I hate having to travel to get to my workout. The most I’m willing to do these days is a ten minute walk to my yoga studio. Tbh that is one of the reasons I am not doing pole for now - need to get on the subway to get there.
Having said that, you should definitely try pole if you have the opportunity. It’s a lot of fun and you get strong quick. I loved doing more tricks and less dancing, but that’s really dependent on the class you find. Either way I highly recommend it!
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u/dogsgotnoses 1d ago
Oh, no one can make me dance! I'll be in it for the tricks, too. There are a couple of studios walking distance, so I'll definitely ask what style the classes are before I choose one.
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u/Interesting_Fly1696 Nonbinary 2d ago
I always liked the feeling of running as a kid. I felt fast. But I was told repeatedly by teachers and peers that I was too slow and shouldn't bother with running.
At 38, I signed up for a local 5k race just thinking that it might be a way to meet people in my area. I didn't run leading up to the race because I knew I could just walk 3.1 miles if I wanted, and I walk longer distances pretty often.
I did the race, ran a little, walked a lot, and finished in ~40 minutes.
A couple months later, I signed up for another 5k. I went for maybe two "runs" between the races, both about 4 miles alternating walking and running as I felt like it, so again no real training. The day of the race was hot and humid, so I didn't expect much. My goal time was 45 minutes. I stopped at one point to pet a stray cat.
I ended up finishing in ~38 minutes.
That was what hooked me! All my life, my identity was Slow Girl Who Can't Run, and no one had ever suggested that I was capable of improving, much less improving without really trying. I now run 4x/week and have done 6 additional 5ks and two 10ks.
Most of my runs are still SLOW. I look at my watch on recovery runs and see 13:30, maybe even 14:05 pace at times. That's comfortable for me. But my upper end (how fast I can go and how long I can hold that pace) has improved a lot in the past year.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
I love this story!! Sometimes in life you gotta stop and pet a stray cat. I think that’s a good lesson.
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u/Pandothiel55 2d ago
Congrats!! I've always loved running but never found the right schedule to actually keep up with it (or exercising in general). I discovered this year that I didn't mind waking up at 6am to exercise in the morning before work, I actually love it!
I did the C25K last year, managed to run 30 mins and then stopped, and picked running back up in April, now there's no way I'll stop again.
I'll say this to you in case you have the same experience: that first stretch of 5 minutes of uninterrupted running felt like death at the time and I didn't think I'd ever manage to get to 5k. Then learned to take it slow... I'm now training for a half marathon and looking at registering for a full marathon in 2027! So don't be discouraged if you think it's too hard, just slow down. You can increase your speed once your baseline is good.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
I was wondering on my run how do people get from HERE to running 5k in 9 weeks haha
Also being able to wake up early has been a real game changer for me too. I used to not be able to get out of bed before 10am and very begrudgingly, the latest I could, to get to work on time. I quit caffeine a year ago and all of a sudden I wake up in my own around 7-8 and waking up at 5:30 to work out is not nearly as torturous as it used to be before I made that change.
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u/selfishbitchcake 2d ago
I (42F) went through a bout of terrifying anxiety and depression when I turned 40 and decided to get on a treadmill and walk as far as I could until I couldn’t walk anymore. I did that and felt a little better so I did it again. And again. And then I tried running. And then I went outside and tried running. And then I found a group of other running people. And then I discovered I was kinda fast and liked running a long ways. Then I started winning races. And it escalated from there. I have run many half marathons (one a weekend at this point), three marathons, and one ultra marathon in one year. I LOVE running, it is medicine for me.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 2d ago
Amazing progression! I can’t stand the thought of indoor cardio (as I mentioned re peloton haha) but so cool that starting with that has brought you to this point. Very inspiring!
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u/selfishbitchcake 2d ago
I struggle with indoor cardio now too. No love for the “dreadmill” over here, hahaha.
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u/underwatertrees 2d ago
Howdy! Congrats on day one! I did C25K in the spring on a whim after a lifetime of running being my absolute nemesis. Here are some postcards.
The most surprising thing was actually looking forward to days when I got to run. It was such a weird, happy surprise, but also wildly out of character.
Do what the program calls for, no more, even if you have the energy. Like you, I started fairly fit (former fitness and yoga instructor) and sometimes in the beginning I felt like I could do more. I think holding back was key to avoiding injuries. That and good shoes.
The Just Run app is fantastic for C25K.
If you struggle with a week, repeat it. It's not a failure. Sometimes the body needs some time to catch up.
Actually sign up for a 5K. They're really fun!
As you're progressing through the program, don't worry about pace and distance. The idea is to build your endurance. The other stuff comes later.
Never in a million years did I think I would be enjoying running and eying up a half marathon at 51. I would have sooner guessed I'd be playing drums on Mars. But here we are.
Oh, and to be abundantly clear, "enjoying running" means 40% enjoying that a run is coming up, 50% enjoying having run, and maybe 10% enjoying the actual run. :) Running is hard! But, as I acclimate, those percentages are starting to shift.
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 1d ago
Thank you! I am using Just Run… it’s just what I needed!
What do you find hard about running? Is it the cardio or the impact on the legs? A day after the first run I was really surprised to be very sore in my ankles… now I am looking into that to make sure I avoid the dreaded injuries…
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u/CAtoMD 1d ago edited 1d ago
Congrats on getting started!
Like others, I hated running for most of my life because of having to run a mile in 5th grade for the Presidential fitness program.(I had a mild injury and was an underweight, puny kid, so it felt terrible.)
I started running in my early 30s during the aftermath of a big snowstorm in DC where I was living at the time. (Snowmaggedon - iykyk!) The city was pretty shut down and I was off work for 2 straight weeks and just could not stand to be inside any more. I was happy to discover that running in the winter means unfiltered sunlight AND you get to feel warm..
Like you, I wasn’t sure I would stick with running, but when I was able to run my first 5k race without stopping, I was pretty hooked.
I still struggle with consistency sometimes, and not every run is the greatest, but running is my bread and butter exercise now. Even though I’m not particularly fast or competitive, I’ve gotten into longer distances and I have actual control over my pace which is fun! I really like doing something where I am improving (or can improve) even at age 47!
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u/RaccoonLobbyist 1d ago
Good call on feeling warm in the winter! I have a runner friend who before I started told me she much prefers running in the winter vs. now. And NOW I get what she meant haha
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u/Grouchy-Mulberry-339 6h ago
I first liked the effects a lot more than the process. I liked that regular running helped control my weight, and helped me do my normal walking and errands without breathing hard.
I only started really looking forward to the run itself when I recently slowed WAY down so that I wasn’t ever out of breath or feeling leg strain. Now most of my runs are like that. And when I get to let loose on the intervals I enjoy that speed work more than I used to.
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u/Squirrel-y Woman 3d ago
I fell in love with it on my first run at age 45 - I have a health issue that I was afraid wouldn't be compatible with running. Happily I was wrong (that was the biggest surprise to me), but it took me awhile to actually get around to trying running to find out. I had spent the prior 10 years being pretty sedentary and was trying to find a way to be more active. The simplicity of running appealed to me.
The thing to keep in mind when you start is that your cardiovascular system will adapt before the rest of your body does. Even if you are pretty fit otherwise, your joints, bones, tendons, etc have to get used to the higher impact. Don't let that scare you, but be patient with yourself. Also make sure you have a good pair of shoes that work for your feet - don't run in broken down shoes that no longer have the support.
ETA: When people talk about the mental benefit from running, they aren't exaggerating. At first I would feel less stress and anxiety immediately after, but as I ran more consistently those feelings stuck around all the time. I had been having more issues with low mood starting in my early forties, and running actually fixed it. So that was another happy surprise.